in the rain
by Jaded-Raindrop
Summary: [zexionxnamine au] [raspberrykiwis contest] fall rain is the best, isn't it? [second.place]


Note: 'Tis meh entry for raspberrykiwi's 100prompts contest. My prompts were _an orange blanket _and _Chinese food_. I also had to use the word _crimson _and throw a hallucination in there. Somewhere.

SO-I present to you a zexionxnamine, with zexyxkairi mentioned a few times, because zexiri ish the shizz. :D

**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts & it's characters are NOT mine. (though I seriously wish they were. -sigh- The things I could (WOULD) do…**

_**- - - **_

Wrapped up in an orange blanket, he lay on the bathroom floor, watching the rain fall noisily outside the window. Each _pitter-patter _was like the ticking of a clock, counting the minutes, _seconds _he had left before those pills took affect…

_**- - -**_

When he met her, it had been raining too.

He liked the rain-it was the only thing that ever made him happy. It gave him hope, it made him think that life could get better…

But those feelings dried up the next morning, along with the puddles from the previous night.

He had been walking down the empty streets, his head bent against the wind as he relished the feeling of the rain in his hair. And then he bumped into her.

"Whoops!" she said, laughing merrily. As blush burnt his cheeks, she smiled a smile that told him right away-She was confident. She was different.

"I'm sorry! I was enjoying the rain-is that what you're doing too?" she asked, smiling brightly. He nodded sheepishly, and kicked a stray pebble absently. "..You know, the rain's much easier to enjoy when you have your face turned upwards, like this." gently, she put a slim finger under his chin and tilted it towards the sky. Startled, he blinked rapidly as the rain fell softly on his face.

Giggling, she withdrew her hand. "Fall rain is the best, isn't it?" His eyebrows knotted together in confusion. _What makes fall rain better then any other rain? _he wanted to ask. But the words wouldn't come, and he stood there silently as the rain continued to fall.

"…You want to know why I think that?" she asked suddenly, leaning in a little closer. He nodded slowly, and waited for her to speak. "Well-I don't really know why myself." she threw back her head and laughed. "I think it's because I feel like fall rain is…washing away all the mistakes we made over the summer. Lots of people see this as the season of harvesting, and giving thanks…but I see it as a season of redemption, because, you know-summer makes us want to do all these crazy things-but when fall comes around and the rain starts to fall again, it puts some sense back in us." she smiled. "I made a lot of mistakes this summer. That's why I'm especially happy for this rain. It makes me feel like I'm being forgiven."

She laughed, and scratched the back of her head nervously. "I'm sorry! We just met, and I'm already making a complete fool of myself. My name is Namine." she held out her hand expectantly, still smiling goofily.

Slowly, he reached out and grabbed that hand, and his lips gradually curled into a smile.

"I'm Zexion."

Grinning, she shook his hand vigorously and said, "Zexion, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship." she giggled as he froze on the spot, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"…Friends?"

"Yeah!" she said cheerfully, "And as you're friend, I'm going to take you out to dinner!"

She tugged him down the street, babbling happily.

The whole time, he wondered what he'd gotten himself into.

_**- - -**_

She took him to a run down Chinese restaurant a few blocks away from where they had met.

It was completely empty and quiet, except for the sounds of pots and pans in the kitchen.

Obviously-she had been here many times before, because she forced him into a seat and skipped back into the kitchen. She sang a hello to someone-two some ones, Xaldin and Xigbar-and they laughed and talked with her for a few minutes, and she came back out carrying a plate with a roast duck on it.

"Do you, uh, work here?" he asked quietly, raising his eyebrows as two heads poked out from behind the kitchen door. There was a man with black dread locks and huge sideburns, and another with an eye patch. He couldn't quite figure out who was who, and they laughed when they saw him. He blushed and averted his gaze to the linoleum floor.

"Nope!" she said brightly. She put the duck down, and sat across from him. She handed him a fork and smiled, before stabbing the food before her. He stared at her blankly, watching as she downed bite, after bite of duck.

"Hey, you guys?" she asked over her shoulder.

The man with the eye patch jumped out of the kitchen. "Yeeeesss?"

"Where'd ya get the duck? It's really good!" she exclaimed, her mouth full.

"Heh…funny story, actually…"

"You know that annoying kid, Sora, who keeps asking about you?" the man with the side burns said, sauntering towards a table and sitting on top of it.

"…Yeah…"

"And he _had_ those obnoxious pets-Goofy the dog, and Donald Duck?" eye patch man sniggered.

"Oh." she paused, and stared for a moment. Then, she laughed. "I _thought _this duck looked familiar! Gosh, poor Sora….what'd you do to him?"

"…Well, after we beat him up, we threw him in the dumpster out back."

"Yeah! _No _dude messes with our Nami." said side burn guy, placing a protective hand on _Nami_'s head. The poor boy gulped, and put down his fork, as he sunk lower into his chair.

"_Ah._" she swatted his hand away and smiled at him from across the table. "Don't worry-they're just two over protective idiots."

Eye patch man snorted.

Giggling, she pointed to side burn guy. "This is Xaldin," she gestured to eye patch man. "And that's Xigbar." Both dropped the tough façade for a moment and grinned casually, waving in his direction. "Neither of them own the restaurant, they just work here. The owner-some weirdo named Vexen-only visits once a year…"

"Okay, okay. You don't need to tell the poor kid the restaurant's whole friggin' _history_." Xigbar rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Oops." she said, chuckling nonchalantly. "Soooorrrry, I got kinda carried away…but you should try some of this duck! I used to know it…but it tastes really good!" He picked up his fork hesitantly. "Go on, Zexy!" she urged. He almost flinched at the nickname-everyone in high school had called him that, and he _hated _it. But-it sounded nice when it came from her pretty pink lips.

He poked the duck-and ate.

_**- - - **_

They finished up the duck-with Xaldin and Xigbar watching them both closely, and she gave him her number and told him to call her.

She laughed when they got outside. "It's still raining!" she said happily. She twirled around for a few moments before shooting a smile in his direction. "I go this way." she said, jerking her thumb behind her.

He nodded, and watched her skip off. "Don't slip…" he said, but she was already too far away. He smiled. She wasn't like everyone else-she didn't pressure him to speak, or ask too many questions-though she _was _very strange, he liked her.

"Bye, Namine." he whispered.

He turned and headed towards his apartment, feeling oddly happy.

_**- - - **_

The next day, his happiness had evaporated, and the rain thinned out, and eventually disappeared. It left a cool fog that hugged the buildings like a smoky blanket. He felt around in his pocket and found the paper with _her _number on it. She had haunted his dreams that night-weaving herself into his mind, so tightly that he woke up when he thought he heard her voice, and saw her face at his window early in the morning. And though he had sworn not to get to attached to _anyone _**ever **again, he couldn't help it with her, she was so lively and odd and happy. And she smiled a lot. She smiled like he never could.

And though she made him happy, she scared him as well.

She scared him because he thought he'd take things too far and fall for her-only to have fate cruelly whisk her away from him like it had his parents…his best friend…the girl he had loved.

But he called her anyway.

"Do you want to go do something tonight?" he asked quickly, turning red. On the other end, he could hear her giggle, and it made him _sweat._ Goodness, how he loved that giggle of hers.

"Like what?"

"Let's be spontaneous. Do whatever we want." he said, surprised by what he was saying. He'd **never** ever in his whole life say something like that. Obviously, the Coco Puffs he had eaten for breakfast were making him brave. Or something like that.

"Okay!" she said brightly. "See you later tonight!"

After she hung up, he stood there, listening to the dial tone as he saw a flash of red hair and violet eyes.

_Kairi._

Was going on a date with Namine like betraying her memory?

'_No…no,' _he told himself firmly. '_Kairi would want me to go on this date. She'd want me to move on, and be happy…even if it's not with her.'_

He sighed and put the phone slowly back on the receiver. Maybe he wasn't up for this…maybe he shouldn't go…he pulled back his hand, and stuffed it in his pocket. As he walked away, he thought, _'Maybe it's time to be happy again.'_

_**- - -**_

She arrived at his apartment at a quarter to seven, wearing a shimmery silver dress that hugged her curves gently, and….a bright orange blanket, wrapped around her shoulders.

He blinked rapidly upon seeing her when he opened his doors, and she shrugged. "It's supposed to get kinda cold tonight." then she smiled. "You probably think I'm a freak, huh?" Sheepishly, he shook his head. "Oh. Well, that's good! I like this blanket. That's why I wore it, if you're wondering."

"Oh. Um, that's cool…" he muttered, stepping to the side so she could enter. He felt a little underdressed, in just t-shirt and jeans. "I-uh…do you want me to change?" he asked, blushing lightly.

A giggle escaped from her lips, as she stepped closer to him. "You blush too easily, Zexy…" she put her hands on his rapidly heating cheeks. "But-I admit, it _is _ kinda cute."

She was so close now-he could see the blush on her cheeks and the sparkles in her lip gloss. And right then and there, he kissed her. She didn't protest, and her soft lips moved with his.

His mind flashed back to Kairi-and he swore that she was in the room with them. He remembered how soft _her _lips had been and he almost pulled away until-

"Good for you, Zexy…"

Startled, he stopped, and whirled around, and-_there she was._ Just like she had been when he had last seen her, hair done up in a tight bun, and eyes sparkling beautifully, hiding the pain that made her kill herself later in life…

"Zexion?"

Slowly, he turned back around to face her-her blue eyes clouded in confusion. "What's wrong?"

He smiled. "Nothing. Nothing at all." He grabbed her hand, and they headed out the door.

'_It's time to be happy again.'_

_**- - -**_

"I really like, you, Zexion." she said, as they lay on the grass in the park.

They went to dinner at Burger King-earning many stares and weird looks from the families in the booths. They even went to go to play on the equipment with the little kids-until being thrown out by staff. They laughed their way to the movie theater, where they bought tickets to a show they didn't watch all the way, because she got bored and wanted to see what was on in the other theaters. So, munching on popcorn, they watched twenty minutes of every movie in the entire theater, and sauntered out, as if nothing had happened.

He loved every minute of it.

He hadn't been this happy since he met Kairi-and it was nice to have a reason to smile again.

After the movies, he tugged her to the park, where they sat on the swings before she jumped off and ran from him, giggling madly. Finally, he caught up to her and pulled her down onto the grass with him, and after many moments of playful struggle, she finally gave in and snuggled into his embrace, and laid her orange blanket across them.

"I….I like you too." he said finally, stoking her golden curls.

She laughed softly. "It's weird, isn't it? We met just yesterday-and now here we are, confessing to each other!" She sat up abruptly. "Will we be together forever, Zexy?" she asked quietly.

He continued to lay there, staring off into space. "…Yes, Namine…I'm pretty sure we will."

She bent down to kiss him. "I'm glad." she whispered, before getting up and strolling off.

He sat up and watched her quizzically. Gathering up her blanket and silver pumps (that she had thrown off during their chase) he quickly followed her.

She was standing in the middle of the street, looking up at the sky.

"Look, Zexion-the stars are so bright! They always seem to shine the brightest in October." she smiled. "Aren't they beautiful?"

"Not as beautiful as you, love." he said as he walked towards her.

Then there were headlights.

And a scream.

And her pushing him to the side.

And the sickening crack of her bones as the car hit her small body.

Silently, he watched as she was thrown to the side, thinking, _'No, no, __no__. This can't be real…'_

He ran to her, calling her name _again and again._

And it **was **real. As real as the crimson stain spreading on her pretty dress, pretty as the fact that they were right in front of Xaldin and Xigbar's restaurant and that they were running out, screaming curses at the apparently drunk driving as they tried to grasp the situation.

He cradled her head in his hands and willed her not to go, to stay with him so they could be together forever, and she smiled and rasped, "I love you, Zexion…"

He managed to croak and 'I love you too' before her brilliant blue eyes closed forever.

_**- - -**_

And here he was, a year later, dying on his bathroom floor.

He clutched the blanket tighter to his shoulders as everything started going dark. Getting, up, he staggered outside to feel the rain on his skin, _one last time_.

He recalled that day when they met, and how the rain had made her cheeks flush happily as it ran down her face.

And as he fell, he heard her ask him, _will we be together forever?_

"_Yes." _he thought, as he faded from the world. _"Yes, very soon."_

_**- - - **_

Well, there you go.

I dunno about this one…I guess it's okay, even though I worked my butt off on this. Oh-and sorry that everyone's so terribly OC. D:

Bleh. Whatever. Review, yes?


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